Turkey’s raw materials sector encompasses a broad economic area consisting of mining, natural stones, metal ores, industrial minerals, energy raw materials, agricultural raw materials, and various natural resources used by industry. The sector provides essential inputs for Turkey’s manufacturing industry, construction, energy production, defense industry, automotive sector, chemicals, ceramics, glass, and many other industrial branches.
Turkey has a wide variety of mineral and mining resources due to its diverse geological structure. Boron, chromium, marble, feldspar, perlite, magnesite, bentonite, pumice, trona, zeolite, barite, lead, zinc, copper, gold, iron, and lignite are among the country’s prominent resources.
The raw materials sector is not limited to the extraction of minerals. Today, a significant part of economic value is created by processing extracted raw materials into concentrates, metals, chemicals, semi-finished products, or high-value finished products.
- Mining and Mineral Raw Materials
Mining represents one of the most important components of Turkey’s raw materials sector. Metallic ores, industrial minerals, energy resources, and natural stones are extracted in different parts of the country.
Mining activities supply industry with:
Metallic ores
Industrial minerals
Natural stones
Coal
Energy raw materials
Construction stones and minerals
Turkey’s geographical position and geological diversity are particularly important for mining. Different geological formations across Anatolia have contributed to the development of numerous mineral deposits.
- Boron: One of Turkey’s Most Important Raw Materials
Boron is one of Turkey’s strongest raw-material resources on a global scale.
Turkey possesses approximately 73% of the world’s boron reserves, with major deposits located in Eskişehir-Kırka, Balıkesir-Bigadiç, Bursa-Kestelek, and Kütahya-Emet.
Boron is used in many industries, including:
Glass
Ceramics
Detergents
Agriculture
Metallurgy
Cement
Energy
Defense
Nuclear technologies
Boron carbide is particularly important because of its high hardness and potential applications in armor systems and wear-resistant materials for the defense industry.
Turkey’s strategy in the boron sector is increasingly moving beyond the export of raw boron materials toward the production of higher-value-added products.
For this reason, boron carbide, ferroboron, and advanced boron-based materials are becoming increasingly important in Turkey’s raw-material strategy.
- Chromium Raw Materials
Chromium is one of Turkey’s important metallic raw materials.
Major chromium deposits are located in areas including:
Elazığ-Guleman
Muğla-Fethiye
Muğla-Köyceğiz
Sivas
Erzincan
Kayseri-Mersin
Balıkesir-Eskişehir
İskenderun-Kahramanmaraş
Chromium is primarily used in stainless steel and ferrochrome production.
In 2025, Turkey’s chromium ore production reached approximately 7.8 million tons. Around 1.33 million tons of chromium products were exported, generating approximately US$523 million in export revenues.
The chromium sector is an important export industry for Turkey. However, further processing of chromium and the development of higher-value products such as ferrochrome could increase its economic contribution.
- Copper Raw Materials
Copper is one of Turkey’s important metallic raw materials from an industrial perspective.
Copper is used extensively in:
Electrical cables
Electronics
Electric motors
Energy infrastructure
Automotive manufacturing
Defense industry
Construction
Renewable energy systems
Copper production in Turkey is concentrated in provinces and regions including Sivas, Siirt, Adıyaman, Malatya, Kırşehir, Trabzon, Çorum, Kastamonu, Bitlis, and Artvin.
According to government data, Turkey produced approximately 5.79 million tons of raw copper in 2025.
Although Turkey produces copper ore, the country also requires imports of intermediate and finished copper products. Therefore, developing not only mining capacity but also refining, metal production, cable manufacturing, electronics, and advanced materials is important for the copper industry.
- Iron and Steel Raw Materials
Iron ore is a fundamental raw material for Turkey’s heavy industry and steel sector.
Iron and steel are used in:
Steel production
Automotive manufacturing
Construction
Machinery
Shipbuilding
Defense industry
Infrastructure
Household appliances
Turkey has a strong steel production infrastructure based largely on electric arc furnaces and the use of scrap metal. However, imports play an important role in supplying inputs such as iron ore and scrap.
Security of supply for iron and steel raw materials is strategically important for Turkey’s export-oriented industrial structure.
- Zinc Raw Materials
Zinc is an important metal, particularly for protecting iron and steel against corrosion.
It is also used in:
Galvanization
Brass alloys
Casting
Automotive manufacturing
Construction
Roofing materials
Rubber production
Balya in Balıkesir and Çayeli in Rize are among Turkey’s important zinc-producing regions. Investments in Siirt have also contributed to the development of domestic zinc production and processing capacity.
This represents an important step toward processing raw materials domestically and creating greater added value.
- Gold Raw Materials
Gold has become increasingly important in Turkey’s mining sector in recent years.
Gold is used in:
Jewelry
Finance
Electronics
Technology
Investment
Gold mining is particularly developed in parts of the Aegean, Eastern Anatolia, and Black Sea regions.
Increasing domestic gold production has the potential to reduce Turkey’s dependence on imported precious metals. However, environmental impacts, water consumption, waste management, and relationships with local communities remain important issues in gold mining.
- Marble and Natural Stones
Turkey is one of the world’s important producers and exporters of natural stone, particularly marble.
Major marble-producing areas include:
Afyonkarahisar
Muğla
Denizli
Bilecik
Balıkesir
Bursa
Elazığ
Antalya
Turkish marble is exported to markets including:
China
United States
Europe
Middle East
Asia
The marble industry is not limited to quarrying. Cutting, polishing, sizing, design, and architectural applications can create significantly higher added value.
- Feldspar
Feldspar is another important industrial mineral produced in Turkey.
It is widely used in:
Ceramics
Glass
Porcelain
Tiles
Construction materials
Turkey’s feldspar resources are particularly concentrated in Western Anatolia.
The feldspar industry contributes significantly to the development of Turkey’s ceramic and glass industries.
- Perlite, Pumice, and Industrial Minerals
Turkey possesses significant reserves of numerous industrial minerals.
These include:
Perlite
Pumice
Bentonite
Zeolite
Barite
Magnesite
Kaolin
Gypsum
Trona
These minerals are used in industries such as:
Construction
Agriculture
Chemicals
Ceramics
Glass
Insulation
Paint
Drilling
Cement
Perlite and pumice are particularly important for lightweight construction materials and thermal insulation.
- Coal and Energy Raw Materials
Coal is another important domestic energy raw material in Turkey.
Lignite production is particularly significant. According to government data, Turkey’s total run-of-mine coal production reached approximately 81.3 million tons in 2025. This included around 79 million tons of lignite, 1.18 million tons of asphaltite, and 1.15 million tons of hard coal.
A significant proportion of Turkey’s coal is used for electricity generation.
However, the global energy transition, carbon-emission reduction policies, and increasing investment in renewable energy are creating an important long-term transformation for the coal industry.
- Nickel
Nickel is an important raw material for stainless steel and various high-performance alloys.
Among Turkey’s economically exploitable nickel deposits are:
Manisa-Çaldağ
Manisa-Gördes
Eskişehir-Mihalıççık-Yunus Emre
However, Turkey’s nickel production has experienced significant fluctuations in recent years. According to government data, run-of-mine nickel production declined from approximately 1.6 million tons in 2023 to around 182,000 tons in 2025.
As nickel becomes increasingly important for battery technologies and electric vehicles, Turkey’s nickel resources could receive greater attention in the future.
- Importance of Raw Materials for Industry
Turkey’s strong manufacturing industry makes the raw materials sector even more important.
Raw materials form the starting point of a broad economic chain:
Mining → Processing → Intermediate Products → Manufacturing → Finished Products → Exports
For example:
Chromium → Ferrochrome → Stainless Steel → Automotive/Machinery → Exports
or:
Boron → Boric Acid → Boron Carbide → Defense/Advanced Technology
Therefore, Turkey’s objective should not simply be to extract more minerals, but to process as much of the raw material as possible domestically and increase its added value.
- Raw Material Imports
Although Turkey possesses significant natural resources, it is not self-sufficient in all industrial raw materials.
The country continues to require imports in areas such as:
Energy raw materials
Certain metal ores
Copper products
Nickel
High-quality iron ore
Certain chemical raw materials
Special alloy metals
Rare and critical minerals
Turkey’s trade relationship with the European Union also includes mechanisms designed to facilitate access to certain raw materials required by manufacturers, including tariff suspensions and tariff quotas for selected products.
- Critical Raw Materials and Technology
In the 21st century, the importance of the raw materials sector is no longer limited to traditional minerals.
Electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, semiconductors, and defense technologies are increasing demand for certain strategic minerals.
These include:
Lithium
Nickel
Cobalt
Copper
Graphite
Rare earth elements
Boron
Tungsten
Vanadium
For Turkey, increasing geological exploration and economically developing existing resources in these areas are becoming important strategic objectives.
- Moving from Raw Materials to Value-Added Products
One of the most important future objectives for Turkey’s raw materials sector is to transform minerals into processed products domestically whenever possible.
For example:
Raw Material Processed Product Application
Boron Boron carbide Defense, advanced technology
Chromium Ferrochrome Steel
Copper Copper cathode/cable Electricity, electronics
Iron Steel Construction, automotive
Feldspar Ceramic raw material Ceramics
Marble Processed slabs Construction, architecture
Zinc Zinc ingots Galvanization, alloys
Nickel Nickel products Alloys, batteries
Turkey’s mining strategy increasingly emphasizes processing raw materials into intermediate and finished products instead of simply extracting and exporting them.
- Export Potential
Turkey’s raw-material exports include significant quantities of:
Marble
Natural stone
Chromium
Boron
Feldspar
Zinc
Copper
Various industrial minerals
However, the economic return from exporting raw materials can be lower than exporting processed products.
Therefore, Turkey’s long-term objective should be to move from being primarily a “mining country” to a “mining technology and processed mineral products country.”
- Environment and Sustainability
One of the most important challenges facing the raw materials and mining sector is its environmental impact.
Mining activities can affect:
Land use
Water resources
Forest areas
Biodiversity
Soil structure
Consequently, modern mining increasingly emphasizes:
Land rehabilitation
Waste management
Water management
Energy efficiency
Low-carbon production
Environmental monitoring
Improving environmental standards in raw material production will also be important for maintaining Turkey’s competitiveness in European markets.
- The Future of Turkey’s Raw Materials Sector
Several major trends will shape the future of Turkey’s raw materials sector.
- Critical Minerals
Demand for critical minerals will increase because of electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy, and advanced technologies.
- Greater Processing
Exports of refined and processed materials will become more important than exports of raw ore.
- Technology Investments
Mining exploration, automation, artificial intelligence, sensors, and remote monitoring technologies can increase productivity and efficiency.
- Recycling
Recycling of copper, aluminum, steel, nickel, and other metals will increasingly become an important source of secondary raw materials.
- Defense Industry
Strategic minerals such as boron, chromium, tungsten, and other specialty materials may become increasingly important for defense technologies.
- Green Transformation
Low-carbon production, electric mining equipment, and the use of renewable energy will play a greater role in the future of the sector.
Turkey’s raw materials sector is one of the fundamental building blocks of the national economy and industrial production. Turkey possesses significant natural resources, including boron, chromium, marble, feldspar, perlite, pumice, magnesite, bentonite, zinc, copper, iron, gold, and lignite.
Turkey’s global position in boron provides a particularly important strategic advantage. The country also has significant production capacity in minerals such as chromium and copper.
However, the future success of the sector will not depend solely on the size of Turkey’s mineral reserves. The real economic advantage will come from processing raw materials domestically, transforming them into advanced technology products, integrating them with manufacturing industries, and exporting them with higher added value.
From this perspective, Turkey’s raw materials sector should be viewed together with mining, metallurgy, chemicals, defense, automotive, energy, electronics, construction, and advanced technology industries. It will therefore remain one of the strategic areas of Turkey’s industrial and economic policies.
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